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Tutorial: Configuring Outlook’s Inbox for Easier Viewing

The following tutorial has been written by our Technical Support Officer Paul Traynor and outlines steps that you can take when you first open up MS Outlook versions 2010, 2013 and 2016 in order to make folders such as the Inbox and any sub folders easier to view with a screen reader.
One or two of the instructions may not be valid for 2016 but just carry out as much of them as possible.

Here are the settings:

first you check to make sure that you have the proper views for Outlook 2010 set correctly. Do the following things first:

1. Turn off the reading pane, “Use keys, “Alt, V + P + N” then arrow down to Off and press enter key.
2. Turn off the People Pane, “Alt, V, + P + P” and arrow down to off then press the enter key.
3. Turn off the To-do bar, “Alt, v then down arrow once and tab over to the “To-do bar” then press spacebar once and down arrow to off followed by the enter key.
Notes: The “To Do Bar” may not be present in Outlook 2016 Outlook.
Now close outlook and then re-open it again.

Next turn off the “Arrange in groups” for the Inbox with keys, “Alt, V + a + b + W”

Make sure that your messages are to show in the list by “Date” as follows; Use keys, “Alt, V + A + B” and make sure that date is checked use the enter key if it is not.

(Setting the format of your mails)
Notes: Nowadays people may prefer to have their emails in “HTML” format so the next instruction is optional.
Set your messages to “Plain text” as follows;

1. Press keys, “Alt + F” to open up the file menu then arrow down to “Options” and press the enter key.
2. In the list of categories arrow down to “Mail” and then tab over to where it indicates to you which format your mail is in. Your email format is possibly in “HTML” by default. Should you wish to change to “plain text” then down arrow to Plain text and tab over to “Apply” and press the spacebar.
3. Tab back over to the categories list and arrow down to “Trust centre” then press keys, “Alt + t” and you are in the trust centre settings.
4. Press the Up arrow once to “Email security” and then tab over to the following two items; *. Show all mail in plain text checkbox and check it.
*. Show all digitally signed mail in plain text, checkbox checked.
Important: Use the above instruction concerning the “Trust centre” with care as it is a security feature of MS Outlook.

5. tab to the ok button and press the spacebar then tab to the OK button again and press the spacebar to complete.
6. Close out of outlook and then go back in to see if it has improved for you.